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our-umair-mehry-stuff · 6 years

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The United States of Guns By Jason Kottke

Like many of you, I read the news of a single person killing at least 10 people in Santa Fe, Texas today. While this is an outrageous and horrifying event, it isn’t surprising or shocking in any way in a country where more than 33,000 people die from gun violence each year.

America is a stuck in a Groundhog Day loop of gun violence. We’ll keep waking up, stuck in the same reality of oppression, carnage, and ruined lives until we can figure out how to effect meaningful change. I’ve collected some articles here about America’s dysfunctional relationship with guns, most of which I’ve shared before. Change is possible — there are good reasons to control the ownership of guns and control has a high likelihood of success — but how will our country find the political will to make it happen?

An armed society is not a free society:

Arendt offers two points that are salient to our thinking about guns: for one, they insert a hierarchy of some kind, but fundamental nonetheless, and thereby undermine equality. But furthermore, guns pose a monumental challenge to freedom, and particular, the liberty that is the hallmark of any democracy worthy of the name — that is, freedom of speech. Guns do communicate, after all, but in a way that is contrary to free speech aspirations: for, guns chasten speech.

This becomes clear if only you pry a little more deeply into the N.R.A.’s logic behind an armed society. An armed society is polite, by their thinking, precisely because guns would compel everyone to tamp down eccentric behavior, and refrain from actions that might seem threatening. The suggestion is that guns liberally interspersed throughout society would cause us all to walk gingerly — not make any sudden, unexpected moves — and watch what we say, how we act, whom we might offend.

We’re sacrificing America’s children to “our great god Gun”:

Read again those lines, with recent images seared into our brains — “besmeared with blood” and “parents’ tears.” They give the real meaning of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School Friday morning. That horror cannot be blamed just on one unhinged person. It was the sacrifice we as a culture made, and continually make, to our demonic god. We guarantee that crazed man after crazed man will have a flood of killing power readily supplied him. We have to make that offering, out of devotion to our Moloch, our god. The gun is our Moloch. We sacrifice children to him daily — sometimes, as at Sandy Hook, by directly throwing them into the fire-hose of bullets from our protected private killing machines, sometimes by blighting our children’s lives by the death of a parent, a schoolmate, a teacher, a protector. Sometimes this is done by mass killings (eight this year), sometimes by private offerings to the god (thousands this year).

The gun is not a mere tool, a bit of technology, a political issue, a point of debate. It is an object of reverence. Devotion to it precludes interruption with the sacrifices it entails. Like most gods, it does what it will, and cannot be questioned. Its acolytes think it is capable only of good things. It guarantees life and safety and freedom. It even guarantees law. Law grows from it. Then how can law question it?

Roger Ebert on the media’s coverage of mass shootings:

Let me tell you a story. The day after Columbine, I was interviewed for the Tom Brokaw news program. The reporter had been assigned a theory and was seeking sound bites to support it. “Wouldn’t you say,” she asked, “that killings like this are influenced by violent movies?” No, I said, I wouldn’t say that. “But what about ‘Basketball Diaries’?” she asked. “Doesn’t that have a scene of a boy walking into a school with a machine gun?” The obscure 1995 Leonardo Di Caprio movie did indeed have a brief fantasy scene of that nature, I said, but the movie failed at the box office (it grossed only $2.5 million), and it’s unlikely the Columbine killers saw it.

The reporter looked disappointed, so I offered her my theory. “Events like this,” I said, “if they are influenced by anything, are influenced by news programs like your own. When an unbalanced kid walks into a school and starts shooting, it becomes a major media event. Cable news drops ordinary programming and goes around the clock with it. The story is assigned a logo and a theme song; these two kids were packaged as the Trench Coat Mafia. The message is clear to other disturbed kids around the country: If I shoot up my school, I can be famous. The TV will talk about nothing else but me. Experts will try to figure out what I was thinking. The kids and teachers at school will see they shouldn’t have messed with me. I’ll go out in a blaze of glory.”

In short, I said, events like Columbine are influenced far less by violent movies than by CNN, the NBC Nightly News and all the other news media, who glorify the killers in the guise of “explaining” them. I commended the policy at the Sun-Times, where our editor said the paper would no longer feature school killings on Page 1. The reporter thanked me and turned off the camera. Of course the interview was never used. They found plenty of talking heads to condemn violent movies, and everybody was happy.

Jill Lepore on the United States of Guns:

There are nearly three hundred million privately owned firearms in the United States: a hundred and six million handguns, a hundred and five million rifles, and eighty-three million shotguns. That works out to about one gun for every American. The gun that T. J. Lane brought to Chardon High School belonged to his uncle, who had bought it in 2010, at a gun shop. Both of Lane’s parents had been arrested on charges of domestic violence over the years. Lane found the gun in his grandfather’s barn.

The United States is the country with the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world. (The second highest is Yemen, where the rate is nevertheless only half that of the U.S.) No civilian population is more powerfully armed. Most Americans do not, however, own guns, because three-quarters of people with guns own two or more. According to the General Social Survey, conducted by the National Policy Opinion Center at the University of Chicago, the prevalence of gun ownership has declined steadily in the past few decades. In 1973, there were guns in roughly one in two households in the United States; in 2010, one in three. In 1980, nearly one in three Americans owned a gun; in 2010, that figure had dropped to one in five.

A Land Without Guns: How Japan Has Virtually Eliminated Shooting Deaths:

The only guns that Japanese citizens can legally buy and use are shotguns and air rifles, and it’s not easy to do. The process is detailed in David Kopel’s landmark study on Japanese gun control, published in the 1993 Asia Pacific Law Review, still cited as current. (Kopel, no left-wing loony, is a member of the National Rifle Association and once wrote in National Review that looser gun control laws could have stopped Adolf Hitler.)

To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you’ll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don’t forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.

Australia’s gun laws stopped mass shootings and reduced homicides, study finds:

From 1979 to 1996, the average annual rate of total non-firearm suicide and homicide deaths was rising at 2.1% per year. Since then, the average annual rate of total non-firearm suicide and homicide deaths has been declining by 1.4%, with the researchers concluding there was no evidence of murderers moving to other methods, and that the same was true for suicide.

The average decline in total firearm deaths accelerated significantly, from a 3% decline annually before the reforms to a 5% decline afterwards, the study found.

In the 18 years to 1996, Australia experienced 13 fatal mass shootings in which 104 victims were killed and at least another 52 were wounded. There have been no fatal mass shootings since that time, with the study defining a mass shooting as having at least five victims.

From The Onion, ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens:

At press time, residents of the only economically advanced nation in the world where roughly two mass shootings have occurred every month for the past eight years were referring to themselves and their situation as “helpless.”

But America is not Australia or Japan. Dan Hodges said on Twitter a few years ago:

In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.

This can’t be the last word on guns in America. We have to do better than this for our children and everyone else whose lives are torn apart by guns. But right now, we are failing them miserably, and Hodges’ words ring with the awful truth that all those lives and our diminished freedom & equality are somehow worth it to the United States as a society.

Tags: guns USA May 19, 2018 at 02:31AM via kottke.org https://ift.tt/2IT7cMO

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wanderbitesbybobbie · 7 years

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Dear Manila, I Love You, But...

I was having a chat with my Uber driver on the way to Kingsford Smith International Airport. “Are you going on a holiday?”, he asked me after loading our five pieces luggage into the car trunk. “Yeah kinda, I’m going back to the Philippines for 4 months.”, I quickly replied. We started to make our way to the airport and I glanced out the car window having my last look of Sydney’s summer weather for this year (it’s gonna be winter by the time I get back). “Oh going back? It’s hot there, isn’t it? Where in the Philippines are you from?” He asked me again. My mind went drifting away to the picturesque views of the beaches back home, and then I smiled. “Manila. Hmm… Hot? Well, not really. Not as hot as what we have here in Sydney. We just reached 42 few weeks ago, but the Philippines is more humid throughout the year. Sydney summer is usually dry.” I like it when I say I’m from the Philippines and they actually know where the Philippines is. Believe me, I have encountered answers like, “Where is that?”, “Is that in Thailand?” Hahahaha. Anyway, my Uber driver and I went on with our conversation. “Ahhhh Manila. I heard the traffic is terrible. I have friends who just came back from South East Asia for the Christmas Holidays. “, that was his initial reaction when I told him I am from Manila. Clearly, the guy is well-updated. I didn’t know what to answer because Manila traffic is not a new story to me. “Yeah. Let’s just put it this way. If you can survive Manila driving, then you can literally drive anywhere around the world.”, I said. He laughed. OK. He found it humorous, I was serious though. LOL.

I figured, every time I talk about Manila, all they ever know is how terrible the traffic is. Even my Italian head chef would tell me how he hates Manila every time he and his wife would fly from Sydney to his wife’s hometown in the South. I have been a Manila dweller for 27 years. I was raised in Manila, and I am still proud that I still call it home. However, as time passed by… Manila made me realize things and it hurts that even though it’s the place where I first started to build my goals, it is also the reason why I am continuously searching for better opportunities away from it.

Madalas ang oras tila lumilipas lang. Bawat minuto ay dumadaan at nagiging araw. Bawat araw ay tumatagal at nagiging buwan. Bawat pagkakataon ay mistulang pangkaraniwan lamang. – sabi ng writer ng Red Alert

Dear Manila,

We meet again after a year of residing in a country where everyone is a stranger to me. The sunset backdrop over the skylines of Makati City is just the mere sight of home and it excites me. I missed you. I may be in denial, and I didn’t want to come home just as soon, but now I have finally embraced the fact that I am back. I have come to accept the traffic scenarios as I have been driving on the roads for about 10 years now. I have experienced being stuck for more than three hours in the middle of EDSA. I have been stopped by traffic enforcers for “violations” which I never knew existed. What I just don’t understand Manila, are the following:

Bakit kailangan pa ng traffic enforcers? What is the use of stoplights kung may enforcer rin naman? Magulo lang eh. It just puzzles me when I think about it. I just think there are too many people on the road already. Why put someone in the middle of the intersection? I observed bit by bit, then you gave me my answer. Traffic enforcers are there because most drivers tend to block the intersection when the lights are red which locks up the entire road. As the usual Manila driving goes, “Go fast when it’s orange.” Di ko maintindihan, bakit pag nasa Subic Bay Area or SBMA naman, nakakasunod sa traffic rules? Dahil ba strict ang implementation? Takot sa ticket? Pero bakit sa Manila, hindi magawa? We lack discipline.

Bakit hindi natin kaya lagyan ng timetable yung mga bus? Tapos, lagyan na lang ng tamang bus stops? I just noticed, we have bus stops, but most buses still stop in the middle of the road, even when the lights are green. Why? Again, we lack discipline.

Why do pedestrians cross the roads even if there are foot bridges for them to cross? There are pedestrian lanes painted across the streets, yet people still choose to take the path where it is most dangerous. There are signages that says, “Dito po ang tamang tawiran.” or NO CROSSING, but they still choose to cross on vehicle lanes. I do not want to believe that we are down right stupid. Why do we always choose convenience over following simple traffic rules? Is it because we are lazy? Or is it because of our lack of will to make Manila a better place to live in? It has been the cancer of our society. I am sorry this happened, Manila.

As I rode another Uber on my way home from the airport, I just noticed a long queue at the sidewalk of Magallanes going to Pasong Tamo Extension. I asked the driver, “Kuya, ano yung pila?” He answered me, “MRT po Ma’am.” WHAATTTT? It wasn’t that bad when I left, and that was just a year ago. My heart broke. I felt the turmoil of the commuters. Stressed ka na sa byahe mo sa umaga, stressed ka na sa trabaho, stressed ka pa pauwi. Ano na tayo?

The traffic from the airport to my place was bad as usual, it’s nothing new and I braced myself for it. The supposed to be 35 minute drive took almost 3 hours. I arrived at my home. The comforts of our house seemed like an invisible red carpet. Welcoming. The smell of Filipino food cooking in the kitchen was way more than enough to make me feel relaxed. I turned the television on. Evening Filipino drama played and though I have no idea what the story is about, I tried my best to watch and absorb. I have no TFC (The Filipino Channel) back in Sydney, so hearing my mother tongue on TV thrills me. Then this breaking news went on. Another killing, robbery here and there, tax reforms… Nothing seems to be resolved.

And then I glanced at my phone. It says “Roaming” on the screen as I was still using my Australian network. Welcome to Manila, it says. It automatically flashed two time zones on the screen. Home (AEST) 11:30 PM and Roaming (Manila Time) 8:30 PM. I smiled, but it gave me an awkward feeling. I felt like a stranger in my homeland. I continued browsing. My news feed was flooded with political concerns and rants. Promises from politicians, cries of my fellow Filipinos trying to seek for better governance, and of course keyboard warriors who spend most of their day online brutally attacking whoever it is in power.

The thing is… In a year, I did see changes, both positive and negative. However, the changes I’ve noticed were far from progress. In my perspective, whoever we put in the position, it will still be the same. Why? Because all we do is belittle the government, eye at every flaw, believe that the power to change the country is within the current administration’s hands. We’ve all heard this. CHANGE STARTS WITHIN OURSELVES. Here’s a question I would like to ask to my fellow Manileños. In your entire years of existence, what have you done for Manila to contribute to its progress? Let me rephrase that… What have you done for the country in general to contribute to its progress?

I don’t want to be a hypocrite writer trying to point the negatives of our society. That is the same question I have for myself. I love you Manila. You are still my home. Even if I spent an entire year in a foreign country where you would rather choose the public transportation over a private vehicle, where you would be able to claim your taxes and your health benefits in a snap of a finger, where you would sit on a bench in the city and breathe fresh air without a single dose of pollution… I still love you Manila. Why? Because no matter what I do, anywhere I go, you are still my home.

But then, I still have to leave… Not because I don’t like to live in this place anymore, not because I would rather enjoy the benefits of a first-world country over what the Philippines can offer me. I still choose to leave, because each time I fly to a foreign land, I am able to see what we still need to develop. I can compare what needs to be improved. I can see, with eyes wide open, the difference of how people from other nations tend to react when certain predicaments impact their country. I choose to leave, because I am still hopeful that someday, when I come back for good, I would be able to contribute to our own development. Manila, this is just another journey for me and you. I might be dwelling in some other place, but I will always come back. I just want to improve myself and enrich my knowledge for a better you. I hope in due time, we both become stronger, better, and bolder. We just both need a time to heal. I still believe that we will still be together again, Manila, but now is not the time. I have to go back and let go. I am still hopeful that someday, I would be able to convince my countrymen that you are worth fighting for.

With love always,

Dear Manila, I Love You, But… was originally published on WanderBitesByBobbie

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